his winter season, many of you are looking for ways to boost your immune system and relieve stress. One way to support both of these goals is through the practice of body oiling. Body oiling is an ancient technique, revered for centuries in the Indian Ayurvedic healing system and honored in the Bible, for calming and nourishing the body and bringing the element of ritual into everyday life. Elevate your daily ritual and stay relaxed, nourished, and healthy all winter long by adding body oiling to your routine.
BENEFITS OF BODY OILING
Nervous System Support. Body oiling hydrates the skin, your body’s largest organ, which is loaded with nerve endings. Hydrating the skin not only keeps your skin looking and feeling healthy, it also soothes the nervous system by keeping those nerve endings lubricated. In addition, the act of self-massage helps your muscles release tension, allowing your body to relax deeply. You may find that doing this practice before bed helps you to fall asleep more easily and wake up feeling more refreshed.
Immune System Support. Body oiling also stimulates the lymphatic system, an integral component of the body’s immune system. The lymphatic system protects the body from illness and inflammation optimally when the lymph is flowing smoothly. Self-massage with body oil gets lymph moving, cleansing the body and keeping your immune system strong. The practice of body oiling also supports the immune system indirectly by relieving stress, which has been shown to lower the body’s immune response.
Other Benefits. Additional benefits of body oiling include increased blood circulation, joint lubrication, soft and smooth skin, thick and healthy hair (when you massage your scalp), increased stamina, and decreased anxiety. For women, this is also a wonderful way to perform regular breast checks and support overall breast health. Last but not least, body oiling is a great way to show your body loving gratitude for all that it does for you.
HOW TO PRACTICE BODY OILING AT HOME
Choose your oil: we have an amazing oil the afteroil that will pamper your skin and senses. but any natural oil 
works wonderfully for body oiling.
Choose your method. While the traditional Ayurvedic massage technique Abhyanga involves body oiling before bathing and includes a scalp massage, the instructions outlined here will focus on body oiling done after bathing. If you’d like, we encourage you to try both techniques and decide which one works best for you.
Preparation. Prepare your skin for body oiling by taking a bath or shower. Then, lay a towel down on your bed or floor and place your oil next to you. You may perform the massage either lying or sitting down on the towel.
Let the oiling begin. Pour some oil in your hands and begin by massaging the feet. Use your thumbs to apply slow, firm, circular pressure to both the bottoms and tops of the feet, and massage each one of your toes. Then move onto your ankles, calves, knees, and thighs. Take deep slow breaths as your massage, applying more oil as needed.
Continue oiling your entire body. Continue massaging your hips, abdomen, and lower back, turning onto your side as needed. Massage the abdomen and chest using broad, circular, clockwise motions. Continue massaging your hands, wrists, arms, elbows, shoulders, upper back, and neck. Keep applying more oil as needed and do your best to stay present and focused on the sensations in your body. If you are using our Afteroil feel free to massage your face, giving special attention to your jaw and temples.
Body oiling is a time-tested practice for hydrating the skin and supporting overall wellness. We encourage you to give it a try and consider making it a weekly (or even daily) practice. Also, we realize that many of you have very busy schedules, so even if you don’t have the time or energy to massage your whole body, just do what you can. Even if it’s just taking a few minutes before bed to massage your feet with oil after a busy day, this will definitely still have a rejuvenating effect on your wellbeing.
Enjoy my beautiful Souls,